Wild Roses Do Bleed
by Aurora Magician
Summary: (R just to be safe.) Basically this is an unfinished fic. Liam gets a mysterious illness, Rene deals w/ depression, they fall in love, Street hands out wisdom, Sandoval reeks havoc, and Da'An & Zo'Or learn about humanity. Set before current season.


Disclaimer: I do NOT own Earth: Final Conflict, but I DO own the character of Sarah.  
  
  
  
  
  
Earth: Final Conflict (fanfiction)  
  
Wild Roses Do Bleed  
  
By: Aurora Magician  
  
  
  
  
  
Liam entered the bar and plopped in his usual stool with a sigh. Auger popped up cheerfully, but his smile disappeared when he saw his friend's face. Without a word, he pulled the necessary bottles and fixed Liam his usual. He pushed the drink towards Liam, who downed the deliberately diluted brew in one gulp. Auger's eyes just about popped right out of his head seeing his buddy so screwed up.  
  
"Liam?" he asked warily. He didn't want to agitate his friend, but talking about it just might help him get over it. Auger just hoped that it wouldn't end up like the last time Liam got this messed up.  
  
Liam jerked his head up. "Not yet, Auger," he replied hoarsely, and gestured for another round. Auger sighed, and made this one a bit stronger than usual. Liam downed it as soon as he got it in his hand. "Another," he choked on the word in a half sob. Auger started to fix the next shot, but held back.  
  
"Liam, what's wrong?" he asked in a don't-even-think-of-avoiding-the- issue-because-I-know-you-too-well tone of voice. He held onto the bottles, though, just in case Liam should get crazy on him.  
  
Liam looked up at Auger with eyes that pierced like diamonds. They told Auger all that he need know-- he'd seen his friend like this before, and tonight it was the same thing:  
  
"You and Rene get into another fight?" He asked the question, though he knew what the answer would be:  
  
"Yep," replied his friend, "I don't understand her, Augur!"  
  
"Here we go again," Auger muttered before pulling up a chair on the other side of the counter. He was just glad that Liam didn't decide to go crazy on him again, but he still didn't understand why those two beat around the bush so much. It was obvious that they were in love, so why didn't they just admit it? *You're just too damned stubborn!* he thought.  
  
  
  
Later that night, after calling the semi-drunken Liam Kincaid a cab, Auger threw away the bottles he'd emptied to satisfy his friend. He was just getting out replacements when a disheveled Rene Palmer floated into the bar room. She looked tired, her eyes where red and puffy, and no amount of make-up could hide the fact that she'd been crying and was still hurting. 'Why am I always the one who has to play amateur shrink?' thought Auger to himself. Liam and Rene were his best friends, but their fighting was wearing him down. He didn't think he could take much more of their antics. *Quit it, Auger-- they're your friends!* he chided himself, *Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it all the time!*  
  
Rene perched gracefully on a stool and put her head in her hands. Her perfectly manicured nails raked through her finely bobbed blonde hair and dug into her scalp. Auger didn't say a word. He just sat _her_ usual down in front of her. She clasped her hands in front of her, looking older than her late twenties age. "Thanks," she whispered hoarsely, yet somehow still sounding sweet. Auger leaned across the bar as she slowly sipped her usual with unusual relish. She slowly set her glass upside-down on the counter-top, and twirled it around, watching the light and shadow play that ensued.  
  
"I just don't understand him, Auger," she said in a small voice, sounding as if she might start crying again, "Why does he have to be so… so… so…"  
  
"Stubborn?" Auger eagerly and dryly supplied. Rene picked her gaze up to look at him. "Yeah," she said slowly and in a hushed voice. She sniffed, and suddenly pushed herself up and away from the bar counter. "Thanks, Auger," she said, "I needed this!" she called over her shoulder, sweeping out the door with her jacket over one shoulder and swinging with her gait.  
  
"Gee, I wish it was that easy with Liam," Auger commented sarcastically to no one in particular. The door banged shut in answer. He shook his head, and closed up for the night.  
  
  
  
Rene Palmer walked slowly but determinedly to Liam's apartment, but as soon as she got there, all her anger just dissipated, leaving only the shells and husks of hurt feelings. The man was stubborn, enigmatic, a horrible communicator… and she loved him. She would never tell anyone, though she suspected that quite a few knew by the way that she reacted to him. Looking up at his top floor residence, though, she lost her nerve. No, she didn't lose her nerve. That would be the wrong description. It was more like the evening's fighting had worn her down, and she needed a hot bath more than anything. The only thing that would make this night complete would be for her or him to get shot or something. Rene shivered in the cold night air, and saw the lights in Liam's apartment go out. Sighing, she turned and started on her way to her apartment. It was going to be a very long walk, but she had some tensions that could use a little exercise.  
  
Once inside his apartment, Liam stepped into a hot shower-- scalding hot, as hot as he could stand it. He turned up the spray nosle on high so that the water pelted his body like thousands of miniature hammers. He thought about Rene. Abruptly he turned the temperature to cold. He groaned with an inward hurt, lurching slightly against the shower stall. Unable to stand up easily, he slowly lowered himself down to the tub. Rene crossed his thoughts again. There was an intense pain in his stomach.  
  
Gods, he loved her. She was so cool and complicated… two things he both loathed and adored about her. He could never tell anyone how he really felt about her- _she_ would hate him for it and _never_ forgive him-- so he kept it a secret and held it deep inside himself in quiet... a quiet that deafened his ears as he lost consciousness.  
  
  
  
Lord, but the day had been full of tensions. Rene was too busy thinking to see where she was going, and bumped into someone. "Excuse me," she said absently, her mind on other things.  
  
"Why, Miss Palmer, what are you doing about at this hour of the night?" said the silky, well-trained voice of Ronald Sandoval. She whirled around, recovering her shock and distaste at seeing him quickly, plastering on her business face in a matter of a second. "Agent Sandoval," she said eyeing him up and down briefly, "What a surprise to see you. I was just going home-- I stayed late at Doors to finish up some projects for tomorrow," she looked briefly in the direction of her loft before turning back to him. Brushing away blond bands, she cocked her head slightly, "What brings you out?" Sandoval tipped his dark head skywards, eyes drinking in the stars.  
  
"Nothing," he answered her finally. He smiled at her, "Goodnight, Miss Palmer." He put his hands in the pockets of his light trench coat, turned, and walked away from her in the opposite direction of the one she was taking. She glared at his back before starting off again in her own direction.  
  
No, she couldn't face going home just yet. The night was cool, but welcoming after the heat of the day. She headed for Dunover Park, about a block away from where she lived. The fountains there were beautiful, and kept spouting and lit up all summer long. She remembered that her parents had taken her here when she was young.  
  
Her parents-- that was another one of today's problems. Today made it twenty years to the day that she'd lost her parents in that awful car wreck. The car wreck that she'd caused…  
  
The fountains were beautiful-- especially the one of the angel holding up a lily and leading a procession of children and people with all eyes turned upward in triumph. Called "Victorious", it was her favorite. It had been since she was a child, but she'd never liked the name, so she always referred to it as "The Joyous Discovery". It looked so alive- like the figures could just step out of their concrete shrouds and become real live people. "Victorious" always held that kind of magic for her.  
  
Her global went off, startling her. "Yes?" she answered in an annoyed tone. It was Auger. "Rene, you better get down here fast!" he said.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked already up and walking towards the park's exit.  
  
"Just get to St. Michael's fast! Move it, Rene!" And the global went dead. Rene lurched to her feet, stumbled a little, and started jogging off to the basement of St. Michael's Church.  
  
  
  
The most annoying beeping noise in the world jolted Liam Kincaid from his awful sleep. That-- and the timer he had on his shower had shut off the flow of water. He was dripping, still slightly drunk, and aching all over. And _*freezing*_. And that _*damned*_ beeping kept on and on! "All right, all right, all right already!" he grumbled as he reeled to his feet and fell out of the tub. "Damnit!" he exploded, then immediately held his head in his hands. Buzzing, he answered his global. Before Street could say anything, he blurted out "Street, bloody hell, NOT when I'm in the shower!" She winced, whether from his drawn face with a rapidly swelling eye or from his sharp words he couldn't tell and frankly didn't care.  
  
"Liam," *she sounds pretty panicked,* "You've got to get to St. Michael's immediately!"  
  
"What for, Street? I just left there not two hours ago. All was fine then." Street sighed, and gave him her patented DUH look. "I know that," she said with a shake, as was her fashion, "Something's come up—look, just get here, okay? And move it! Rene's on her way as well." And she cut the connection, leaving him standing buck-naked, dripping wet, head throbbing, and staring at an empty screen.  
  
  
  
Liam got there just after Rene did. She hadn't even taken off her coat yet when he walked into the lab from the hidden elevator. Their eyes met, and Rene looked away first.  
  
"What happened to your face?" She asked in a half-cold, half-worried voice. She sounded a bit shrill to Liam's still-buzzing ears.  
  
"I fell getting out of the shower," he growled, looking meaningfully at Street, who looked just about scared out of her wits. At his comment, though, a little of her usual spice emerged.  
  
"Well I'm _sorry_, Liam—I won't do it again! It's not _my_ fault you were in the shower when I called!" Liam gave her a half-irritated look and Rene snorted. Street gave herself a shake, blinked, and continued: "Anyway, I thought you two should get down here as soon as possible." Rene had her coat off and took a step forward with her arms crossed. She looked as puzzled as Liam was, but she was still so calm about it. Gods, he loved that!  
  
"What's up, Street?" she asked, "What was so important?" Liam stole a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, but all of her attention was focused on Street, who took in a deep, gusty breath and let it out noisily. 


End file.
